‘I’m sitting here in panic looking at the front door as we talk’: Concerned Sky streamers pull out their illegal fire sticks as cops raid homes
- The police have cracked down on an illegal streaming service that sells Sky TV
- Police say Britons who use the pirate services support ‘organized crime’
Concerned Sky streamers have described how they ‘panic’ and remove their fire sticks from the TV after police officers crack down on those illegally watching the service.
Police today warned people who illegally stream Sky TV that they are paying for ‘organised crime’ – a month after cracking down on a streaming service in a series of raids.
On hearing about the raids, a Sky TV streamer said: “I’m sitting here in a panic looking at the front door as we talk.”
Police raided homes in London, Stoke, Glasgow and Edinburgh to stop a service allegedly selling Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) devices – which can be used to illegally access content including sports streams and movies.
It is thought the service had up to 50,000 users and police seized computer equipment, laptops and mobile phones at all four locations.
A FACT agent visits the home of a suspected illegal streamer
Illegal streaming of sports and movie channels is associated with organized crime
Sky TV cooperated with police during the crackdown on pirate streaming services
Using firesticks and services like IPTV, there are ways to illegally watch paid TV channels
Four people have now been arrested in connection with the raids.
One has been charged with intellectual property theft and the other three have been released.
‘Cease and cease’ messages have been sent to 200 people suspected of being involved in similar schemes.
Those using fire sticks to watch Sky services without paying the company have reacted to the raids with a mix of fear and disbelief.
One user joked about the question, “What did you do to get into jail?”. They replied: ‘I used a fire stick to watch Tottenham get knocked out of the FA Cup, it was well worth it.’
Another said, “Just wait for the police to knock on the door. Then delete the app before you open the door.’
A third said: ‘I’m an Everton fan, our punishment is watching the game. We should be exempt!’
Many social media users wondered why police “wasted time” catching illegal streamers instead of crimes such as robberies and assault.
One of them said: ‘British police can’t catch a cold, all crime goes through the roof and most of them don’t even get investigated, but hey, let’s hunt the people chilling out watching the footie.’
Sky TV has supported the police action and has worked with authorities to eliminate pirate pennants.
Legitimate streaming services can cost as much as £80 a month – significantly more than the £10 charged by the pirates at the center of the police raid.
The actual technology used in IPTV is legal and the boxes used to access the signals were originally designed to allow consumers to stream legitimate content to their TV over a broadband connection.
However, software is available, the most famous of which is Kodi, which when installed with illegal add-ons allows the user to access illegal content via streaming websites, says Trading Standards Scotland.
By configuring the boxes in this way, the consumer can easily access illegal websites that offer access to subscription TV, Premier League football, movies and sporting events for the one-off price of a box.
Matt Hibbert, director of anti-piracy at Sky, said: “We will continue to support these efforts to shut down these piracy networks and help protect customers.”
Detective Andy Maclean, from Police Scotland’s Cyber Investigation Department, said: ‘Anyone tempted to purchase one of these IPTV services should be aware that their money is going to a fraudulent scheme , and they may very well be visited by the police or other authorities. authorities.
“Money from such activities is often used to fund other crimes, so people should be aware of that.
“This is without a doubt a form of organized crime.”
